Long guns are firearms with long barrels, such as rifles, shotguns, and the like. Long guns are commonly stored in an upright position in cabinets or safes. The terms “cabinet” and “safe” are used interchangeably herein to refer to any container that is adapted for storing long guns in an upright position with a floor and an overhanging surface located a relatively short distance above the tip of the gun barrel. The term “overhanging surface” is used herein to refer to any horizontal surface directly above the tip of the gun barrel and includes shelves, roofs, projections, and the like.
A gun cabinet typically contains slotted racks against which the gun barrels rest. An example of such a gun cabinet is disclosed in Lesperance, U.S. Pat. Appln. Publn. No. 2005/0133473, published Jun. 23, 2005. The slots are generally spaced apart a sufficient distance to accommodate relatively wide long guns, such as bolt-action rifles, double-barrel shotguns, and guns containing scopes. Accordingly, gun cabinets do not provide optimized storage for narrower guns. Another problem with such gun cabinets is that the long guns can fall over if they are not placed in a stable, leaning over position.
Removing a gun from a cabinet is cumbersome. The gun owner must bend down, tip the gun forward with one hand, raise the stock of the gun up with the other hand to clear the door jam, and then slide the stock forward at a 45 degree angle through the slot without scraping the guns behind it. Removing a gun from the back of the cabinet is even more difficult. To remove a gun from the back of the cabinet, it is often necessary to remove many of the guns in the front to create an open pathway. Placing a gun into a cabinet is equally cumbersome.
Another problem associated with conventional gun cabinets is that resting the barrel of the gun against the rack, even if the slots are covered with felt or cloth, causes a deterioration of the bluing on the barrel.
Accordingly, a demand exists for improved long gun storage. One more particular object is to provide long gun storage with the flexibility that enables the gun owner to optimize the positioning of his guns. Another more particular object is to provide long gun storage that eliminates the danger of a gun tipping over. Another more particular object is to provide long gun storage that eliminates any contact against the exterior of the barrel.